Thought Process
by mstheaterchic
Summary: Hermione and Fred have to get married. There's a new Dark Lord on the rising. What happens to the Golden Trio? How did Fred survive the wall? Please Read! Fremione, rated M for lemons, adult topics and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Thought Process

**POV: **Hermione

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own any of these characters. I'm just experimenting for a while

**Author's Note: **So this is after the war, about 3 weeks. Fred lives, with lots of help from Hermione. Rated M for sexual scenes, adult language and dark situations. Whew! That sounded way too formal. Anyhoo- No flames please. Constructive criticism is appreciated, as well as reviews!

…

_*flashback*_

_The rocks tumbled and fell. The wall was collapsing. It seemed to happen in slow motion and suddenly the laughing man had disappeared. I felt a scream rip through her chest. A sound I didn't know she could make. Fred Weasley could not be dead, it must be a prank. It HAD to be. But as I ran to the heap of broken wall fragments, I knew. The still warm face of Fred Weasley was half buried by rock, etched with his last laugh. He was dead. Nothing could change that. Except… A spell I had read about while reading up on Horcruxes flashed through my mind. An extremely complicated spell that would cause me a great deal of pain, but save Fred. Essentially the spell would split my life force in two. Giving him half of me. All that was required for it to work was pain. The spell casters pain; my pain._

_With nearly no hesitation, I began the tricky spell. Suddenly I felt the world was being torn apart. Pain flooded me. Pain overflowed my body and I could barely finish the spell. Everything hurt. I was on fire, I felt as if I was dying. This was worse than anything I had ever imagined. I screamed with agony and my scream carried out over the grounds. Then it was over as quickly as it had started. I collapsed to the floor, too weak to move. I felt a body stir beside me and a weak voice spoke softly._

_"Hermione… Where am I? What happened to you?" Fred croaked out. I was too weak to answer. I decided against ever answering that question. It would tear Fred apart if he knew. I felt strong arms wrap around me and slowly the world numbed. All around me everything started to fade. I heard a shout and a flash of purple light. Then everything faded to black._

_*end flashback*_

My eyes flew open and I bolted upright. I was covered in a sheen of cold sweat. My sheets were wrapped tightly around my body in a death grip.

"Hermione? Are you okay?" Ginny called in a tentative voice. She looked at me strangely, "You were talking and whimpering. You kept saying 'Make it stop!'… Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, Ginny. I'm fine. It was just a bad dream… that's all", I croaked into the darkness. Then I rolled over, with my back to Ginny and tried to make myself fall asleep. After reciting several complicated potions in my head, I eventually dozed off into a restless sleep.

When I woke for the second time, I was no longer twisted in sheets. The sun was breaking through the curtains and I knew it would be a beautiful day. Even I was still in a rotten mood.

Breakfast brought the daily prophet and the prophet brought news. On the very front page was a picture of two people getting married and under that, in huge letters were the words "Marriage Law Activated". I hurriedly began to read the article.

Marriage Law Activated!

If you are between the ages of 16 and 50 and not married, you are subjected to a new marriage law. Due to the loss of so many witches and wizards during the war with Voldemort, the wizarding community needs more magical members. Hence the marriage law.

Your partner will be chosen for you and you will receive your letter by owl no later than August 1.

You must have at least one child within one year of marriage. If miscarriage happens, you will get an extension of one year.

You will have exactly 2 months to marry your partner

If failure to acknowledge this new law, you will be stripped of magic and put in Azkaban.

I hissed. Who did the minister think he was? I could be paired with a death eater, for Merlin's sake! The breakfast table was suddenly filled with cries of displeasure and horror. It seemed the rest of the Weasley family had read the paper.

"Tomorrow is August 1st! That means we should be getting our letters today or tomorrow", Fred spoke up. I looked at Ron. Did I want him for a husband? I was almost glad there was a slim chance I wouldn't have to marry him. I didn't love him. They fought too much to be happy and all he wanted to do was snog. Mrs. Weasley's cry broke me from her thoughts.

"Owls! OWLS! Enough for everyone. Get ready to find out your life partners!"

I rushed to the window and grabbed the scroll from the owl who landed by me. I opened it carefully.

_Dear Ms. Hermione Jean Granger,_

_Your new life partner is: _**Frederick Weasley**

_No changes and/or exchanges are allowed to be made at this time. Your wedding date is on August 15. You will be expected to have at least two children._

_The Ministry of Magic_

No… There had to be some mistake. I couldn't marry Fred. That was too weird. Was there a possibility that the Ministry knew about how I saved him? They couldn't know. I had never told anyone. But it seemed too coincidental that I and the one man in the world I shared myself with, was going to be my husband. My scared eyes looked up at Fred and he looked up too. They locked eyes and I knew my life would never be the same.

"Harry! I got Harry!" Ginny's excited scream filled the air. She jumped on Harry and kissed him passionately. Harry responded with enthusiasm.

"Oi! Unless you want to be the Boy-Who-Lives-No-Longer then you better get your hands of her, Potter", George growled. Harry jumped backward and Fred laughed. Fred laughing…He looked so alive. This marriage law was so unfair. Thoughts overwhelmed me. I couldn't stand it and ran out of the room with tears running down my face.

…

I sat on the porch swing crying for a long time. I cried because of the overall unfairness of it all. Also because it was Fred. He was gorgeous and funny, I had to admit. But I never wanted to marry him!

"Are you okay?" I heard a scared voice ask. Fred. I whipped around to see him looking at me with a very nervous expression. I stifled a giggle. He looked as if he'd rather be battling Voldemort.

"Yes, Fred. I'm absolutely fine" My voice cracked on the word fine. Fred looked at me with sympathy.

"I know you don't love me. I know you don't even like me in that way. But we are going to make this work. I'll keep you safe. You don't even have to love me, we can just be friends if you want", Fred spoke softly. He walked over and sat down beside me. I laid a hand on his shoulder and we rocked the swing gently back and forth, just enjoying the company of each other. After several minutes, he spoke up.

"Might I have the honor of your presence tonight at 7:00, Ms. Granger?"' He said in a fake stuffy voice.

"You may, Mr. Weasley", I replied in an equally stuffy voice. Then I cracked a smile. He smiled in return and left briskly.

Did Fred just ask me out? I know we're going to be married in 2 weeks but still. He could never love me. He's probably just doing it because he's being forced to marry me. He couldn't feel attraction to me other than a friend. If he was just being nice though, why did I feel so nervous when I was around him?

'Well, I might as well go. We have to shag soon enough', I thought. I went upstairs to talk to Ginny and read up on boys before going on my "date".

….

Ron intercepted me on my way up the stairs. He looked angry, I didn't blame him. I gulped. I hadn't had time to talk to him since I left the room crying. I'm sure he expected us to be paired. I turned to talk to him.

"What the hell, Hermione? You're marrying my brother! I'm marrying Loony Lovegood. What the fuck happened? If you had just married me, then we could still be together. It's all you fault, as usual!" he yelled at me. I was close to tears.

"This isn't my fault, Ronald!" I screamed back at him, tears running down my face, "Maybe you should of actually asked me before this happened! Don't you dare try to blame all your problems on me!"

Ron's face contorted with anger and before I could react, he pushed me with all his might. I stumbled backwards and my wand flew out of my hands. Ron, realizing what he had done, reached out to pull me up. It was too late, however. And I fell backwards down the stairs. Stars flashed in front of my eyes as I hit my head on the edge of the stairs. I heard Mrs. Weasley yell out a cushioning charm, which I landed on. Then for the second time in a month, everything went black.

…

I awoke on a lumpy sofa to six worried faces peering down at me. Mrs. Weasley, Harry, Ginny, Ron, George and Fred.

"Hermione-I-am-so-sorry!" Ron said very quickly. He was a sickly green color that reminded me of pickle juice, "I never thought you would fall! I was just angry."

"Well, you're a right foul git", Fred shot at him. He grinned evilly at George.

"And to show-" George began to say.

"Our appreciation-" Fred continued.

"For pushing Granger-"

"My future wife-"

"And my future wife-in-law-"

"We permanently stuck the word: GIT-"

"On all of your clothes," George finished. I laughed and Ron gave the twins the bird.

"Ronald Weasley! I never want to see this behavior in my house ever again. Do you hear me?" Mrs. Weasley shouted angrily. Ron stormed out of the room in a huff.

"I didn't break anything, did I?" I asked randomly. Harry grimaced and shook his head.

"No, but you will have several large bruises that Mrs. Weasley won't be able to fix until later" Harry answered.

"We ran out of bruise cream and that works so much better then healing spells. Really heals it deep, you know?" Mrs. Weasley said apologetically.

"Oh… That's fine", I said with a faint smile, "I'll be fine." Fred looked at me with a grin slowly creeping up on his face.

"So are we still on for that date?"

I laughed and nodded.

…

**Author's Note: **Thanks for reading guys (: Please review! I want this story to be the best it can be. It only takes 5 seconds. Review please! Second chapter should be up by next week. I'm already working on it. And hopefully it will be longer and fluffy too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: **Thought Process

**POV: **Hermione

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own any of these characters. I'm just experimenting for a while

**Author's Note: **This chapter took a little longer but hopefully its length will be longer. I wrote 6 pages on my last chapter and fan fiction compressed it to this tiny little page ): So I have resolved to write 10 pages or so. WARNING: This chapter is pretty fluffy but you find some intense stuff out about the pair. Mention of rape and other adult things. Rated M for a reason. Please review! They keep me going. If I get 15 reviews then I'll do a poll on… something (:

-0o0o0o0-

Against my better wishes, I was wearing a reveling red halter top dress from Ginny. I looked in the mirror and I felt pretty for once in my life. The dress ended mid-thigh and reveled way more skin then I would usually wear. I figured Fred would like it, and it covered most of my bruises. I cast a quick conditioning charm to make my hair lay in soft waves and not bushy curls.

"Going somewhere special?" I heard a voice croon behind me. It was Fred, of course. He had an evil glint in his eye.

"What are you planning?" I said with a laugh. Fred just grinned and grabbed my hand. His hand was rough and callused but somehow soft at the same time.

"Follow me", Fred spoke softly. He then conjured a blindfold and wrapped it around my eyes, "No peeking!"

As Fred was leading me down the stairs, I heard whispering voices around me and a giggle. Where was he leading me? Why did he seem so sincere?

"I wish I could go upstairs and research this", I spoke thoughtfully then blushed, "Did I just say that out loud?"

Fred just started laughing. And suddenly I felt his gentle breath near my ear, "Nothing to research is there, Ms. Hermione Granger? The future Mrs. Weasley? It's just me taking you on a date. Relax, I won't bite. No matter what George says."

I was sure I was blushing. I had to be blushing fiercely. I felt the butterflies in my stomach fly even crazier than before. I had butterflies over Fred Weasley? No… were just friends who are being forced to marry and shag. Nothing more. We would never be anything more, and for some reason, I was sad about this.

"We're here! Pip pip. Blindfold off, missy", Fred said in an excited voice. I slowly began to reach my hands to my eyes, taking seconds instead a moment. I could feel Fred twitching beside me. I slowly began to pull my blindfold off when I felt hands grab the back of the blindfold and quickly pull it off. I gasped with pleasure.

We were at a small lake. There were hundreds of candles floating in the water. Some of them were even floating underwater! About ten feet away from the shore, a small table was set up. Complete with chairs, wine and food. There were multiple lanterns casting a soft light around everything. The best thing, however, was the boat tied to a small dock.

I ran over to the boat and looked inside. It was filled with cushions and blankets. Was he planning to have sex with me? No… He wouldn't do that on a first date.

"I love it, Fred! It's amazing! However did you get it set up so fast?"

"Well…" Fred began, puffing out his chest a little bit, "I _am_ a wizard"

He put his hand on the small of my back and began to lead me to the romantic table. He pulled a chair out for me and gestured for me to sit. I sat with what I hoped was graceful. With a flourish, he pulled the covers off of the food. It was spaghetti and meatballs.

"How did you know?" I asked him with a relieved smile. Fred looked rather confused. He rubbed his ear.

"How did I know what?"Fred replied. Now I was confused.

"That I've been craving spaghetti and meatballs for the last three weeks! I keep suggesting it to your mum but she keeps telling me that she's allergic to spaghetti!"

Fred laughed. It was a wonderful sound. It sounded so carefree and full of life. If he were dead it wouldn't sound that way. He wouldn't be laughing at all because he was dead. Fred spoke up, breaking up my thoughts.

"Is this one of your 'woman' cravings? Because when Ginny gets those, there is no stopping her. Once, George and I hid all the chocolate in the house from her in our pants. She just hexed our pants off of us and claimed her chocolate. It was quite shocking."

We were both laughing now. I could just picture Ginny's PMS face. I got to see it every month. She even stole chocolate from me before.

"A three week long period? Dear Merlin, I hope not. Is it so hard for me to want my spaghetti?"

Fred looked abashed, "No, no, of course not. Eat your spaghetti, woman!"

With that, we both promptly dug in.

-0o0o0o0-

After eating and drinking until I was tipsy, we mounted the boat. I looked in alarm at the cushions. Fred saw my alarm and shook his head. I climbed in, still eyeing the cushions. Fred un-tied the boat from the dock and pushed us off. I leaned over the side of the boat. It was magical. In more senses then just being a witch. The candles floated softly by us and I heard a soft voice in my ear.

"I think I forgot to mention how utterly breath-taking you look tonight. I mean you're always gorgeous but tonight… wow, just wow." I turned my head to find my face inches from his. I stared into his beautiful blue eyes. Then an alarm went off, ruining the moment. Fred looked at a muggle timer with a surprised expression.

"Already? Well, I guess we have about 30 seconds if my calculations were correct", Fred said. He stretched out in the boat and patted the space beside him, "Lay down beside me."

I looked cautiously at him and slowly stretched out beside him. He pointed at the sky with an eager expression.

"It should be starting any second now," Fred said. I looked at the sky. Suddenly I saw a shooting star. Then another. Then another! It was a meteor shower, and a beautiful one at that. The meteors shot through the sky. They looked like shooting stars and suddenly, I felt as if all of my worries had disappeared. All that mattered was now. My time with Fred, his body pressing close to mine. The meteor shower continued and my thoughts drifted as I watched the wishes shoot through the sky.

-0o0o0o0-

We lay side by side. The meteor shower was long gone, we hadn't spoken a word. We were just enjoying each other's company. Gently drifting on the lake, the boat rocked back and forth. It was gentle and very soothing. I snuggled closer to Fred and put my head on his chance. I could feel his muscles contract as he smiled and his arm snaked around me. He gave me a quick squeeze. It was quite perfect. I closed my eyes, drifting off into slumber. I heard Fred's chest rumble as he began to speak.

"Since we'll be married in two short weeks, we should probably get to know each other better"

Suddenly wide awake, I sat up. I looked at him in horror, "Fred Weasley, I am NOT having sex with you until it's absolutely necessary!"

Fred cracked up. The boat rocked back and forth harder than ever. "That… isn't…. what…" he said between giggles, "I meant!" he finished with a guffaw.

I blushed. Way to make a complete fool out of yourself, Hermione old girl. He probably thinks you're a prude. 'But you are a prude!' said an annoying little voice in her head. I told it to shut up. Fred looked at me blushing and sent me a gentle smile. Tears of mirth still streaming out of his eyes.

"What I meant to say wasn't that I wanted to shag you… though I wouldn't mind doing that either", he waggled his eyebrows like a villain in an old muggle western film. I laughed. I felt like putting a cowboy hat on him and calling him 'Bucky Billy'.

"So… I figured we'd play a little get-to-know-you-better game. I call it… Truth", Fred finished.

"Not a very creative name, especially coming from a Weasley twin. But sure, I'll give it a shot"

"Excellent, excellent. Now the game is simple. All you do is ask questions. I ask a question, you ask a question. And we answer with nothing but the truth", Fred explained, "I'll go first. What's your favorite food and why?"

I smiled at the randomness of the question, "I would probably say minestrone soup. When I was younger, my mum used to make it for me whenever I was sick or sad. It always made me feel better no matter what", I felt a pang of sadness and choked back a sob, "Not that she'll ever make me soup again. I sent my parents to Australia for protection with their memories wiped. When I went back to return their memories to them, I found their house burned to the ground. My parent's bodies lay smoking among the rubble."

Fred reached over and pulled me into a hug. He held me as I cried into his shirt. My make-up was starting to run and Fred's shirt was becoming soaked but Fred didn't seem to care. He kept muttering small comforts, like how you would comfort a baby. He rocked me back and forth. When I calmed down, I realized I was sitting in his lap. I blushed and scooted backwards to where I was sitting before. Fred looked at me with an amused expression on his face.

"Well… uhm… I guess it's my turn", I said awkwardly, "I've always wondered this. How many girls, or guys I don't know your preference, have you slept with?"

Fred laughed when I mentioned the guys but sobered when I finished the question. Then he blushed. He actually blushed!

"I didn't really… uhm… have the best judgment during school. Or after school. This is kind of a really bad number but… 12"

I gasped in shock. It was more than I expected. Fred eyed my shocked expression and sent me a smile.

"Who?" I muttered, more to myself then to Fred. I saw him take another glance at me and I realized he had heard.

"You only know a few. Some of them… I don't even know their names. Angelina, Alicia, Verity, Demelza Robbins a girl I dated from Ravenclaw and a girl I dated from Hufflepuff. Remember them? Harriet and Jenny. Then the other 4 girls… I don't remember who they were."

I looked at Fred's ashamed expression and slowly counted the girls in my head.

"Hold on a minute. You missed one! Who was the twelfth girl?" I asked with as much prissy that I could muster.

"Don't judge me for this one. It was a complete mistake. I was extremely drunk. Like drunker then I've ever been. Probably as drunk as you could be while still living. I… slept with Lee Jordan. I swear to Merlin, I'm straighter then the stick up Percy's butt. Please don't tell George! He'd never let me live it down."

I couldn't help myself and I started cracking up. He slept with Lee? Dreadlocks Lee? Giant spider Lee? That was hilarious. I wondered how he reacted to finding a naked Fred in his bed. Fred looked at me with a disdainful expression.

"Don't laugh! It wasn't funny!" Fred spoke with such an annoyed tone. It only made me laugh harder. Eventually Fred gave in and began to laugh with me.

"And the best part was…" Fred began. Laughter still shaking his wiry frame, "When he woke up beside me, covered in blood and other… bodily fluids, he just looked at me and said, 'You're a really good kisser but you're not my type. Do you have any hangover potion?' Then He left and we never spoke of it again."

I laughed even harder. We just sat their laughing for several long moments. Our pleasure was rocking the boat, creating small waves.

When we settled back down into the pillows, Fred began a new topic.

"I guess we should keep the game going. I have to make my questions harder to answer now, since you asked such a wonderful one. Hermione, are you a virgin?"

I winced and I could feel my facial features scrunching up. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to respond to that.

"No." I replied uncertainly.

A look of surprise flashed across Fred's face, but he quickly covered it up with a care-free smile.

"Did ickle Ronniekins take it before I could? I'll hex that boy; he finally got something before me."

I shook my head. A feeling of dread washed over me. I took several deep breaths. Did I trust him enough to tell him? I was going to be married to him soon, having his children! I _had _to be able to trust him. Plus we shared that good 'ol bond.

"Was it a good shag? Since its Ron, I bet it was horrible. He was probably talking the whole time about his exe girlfriends. I bet he couldn't find anything and had to ask you to show him how! I wish I could've seen that. Actually, I'm glad I didn't. Not because of you 'mione but I never want to hear Ron grunt and moan ever, in my entire life. I never want to see that!" Fred kept on talking about me shagging Ron. I have never done that with Ron. That actually might cause and allergic reaction or something.

"I was raped", I blurted out. I was trying to get it over with. Like jumping into a pool of freezing water. You have to get it over with or it'll hurt like hell.

"What." Fred's voice was a flat monotone. The anger in his eyes encouraged me to keep talking. He reached a hand over and squeezed my left hand gently.

"I've never told anyone this before. No one except for Ron and Harry know the extent of the torturing. I guess you'll know now."

"Torturing." Fred's voice was still flat. I looked over at him nervously.

"Yes, torturing. When we were imprisoned in Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix tortured me. She tried everything to get me to break and tell her what she needs to know. She carved mudblood onto my arm. She stabbed me and prodded me. She used the worst… most awful spells you can ever imagine. But the thing that came closest to breaking me was the last thing she tried. She called up Lucius Malfoy from the ranks of death eaters. She whispered to him about something and I saw his face grimace. He put on gloves and said he wouldn't touch me with his skin because he didn't want to get 'tainted' from my muddy blood. He then proceeded to do horrible things to me. He raped me, several times over and over. When I didn't crack, he raped me from behind. They tried everything they could possibly do. I didn't crack. Bellatrix got her knife and prepared to kill me. That's when Harry and Ron rescued me."

I had kept my eyes on the ground throughout the horrible memory. I didn't dare look Fred in the eyes. His grip had tightened slowly through the story and it started to get painful.

"Please let go! You're hurting me!" I whimpered. Fred quickly let go of my hand and muttered a sorry. I could tell he was trying to control himself. I took my first good look at him. He had turned white as a ghost. His hair looked redder than ever. His eyes had darkened to midnight blue and he looked murderous. After a few long moments he spoke with a hard angry tone.

"I can't believe anyone would do that to you! Lucius Malfoy is going to pay. He's never going to know what hit him. He will never forget the horrors that will happen to him"

"Fred, please stop. I know you're angry. You're scaring me! This isn't the Fred I know. I've accepted that it's happened. I'm still trying to move past it, and I don't know if I ever will be able to fully move on. But please calm down!" I spoke desperately. He had taken out his wand and red sparks were shooting out of it. In an attempt to comfort him, I wrapped my arms around him. He shuddered at my touch but he put his wand away and I could feel his breathing start to slow again. Suddenly I felt his arms around me too.

He spoke into my hair, "I'm so sorry. If it were my decision, I would kill him. Or worse. But it isn't my decision. It happened to you, and I respect what you believe. But-", Fred's voice turned to a growl, "If he EVER tries to touch you again, he will pay."

I simply nodded and relaxed into Fred. I let him hold me. Before I knew it we were both laying down. I played a game with myself, trying to match my breathing with his. I felt drowsy in no time. In an effort to keep myself awake, I thought about what Fred had said. He had defended me so truly. I felt so safe with him. Was it possible that I was falling for Fred Weasley? Falling for Fred Weasley was not in my plan. It didn't fit in with what I wanted in life. I can't help who I love, however. Fred Weasley might very well become a part of those plans.

With thoughts of Fred, I couldn't myself any longer. I drifted off to sleep, still in Fred's arms.

-0o0o0-

**AN: **Sorry this chapter took so long! I had a writer's block. Reviews are love! I'll try to update in the next week or so. Please review once again 3


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: **Thought Process

**POV: **Hermione, but the first section is third person from Fred's POV.

**Disclaimer: **I wish! J.K. Rowling owns everything and anything about this story

**Author's Note: **Hey Everyone! I got 9 reviews and It's been 2 chapters already… It would warm my heart if you reviewed. Tell me why you like it; tell me why you hate it. Or just tell me to update. Anything goes! This chapter is more fluffy stuff. Chapter 4 will have more legit problems and intense stuff. I promise you. Much love!

-0o0o0-

**AN: ** This first section is third person POV with Fred. It will go back to Hermione once the section is over.

-0o0o0-

Fred was mad. In fact, he had never been so angry. He couldn't believe that Malfoy would do that to Hermione. No wonder she had been so touchy since the battle. And now this stupid marriage law was making her have sex with yet another person she didn't love. At least she didn't have to shag him for another six months. Maybe they could even fall in love during that time. Fred could picture himself loving her. He needed to talk to George.

Last night had gone perfectly. But the things he had found out… Fred shuddered as his anger swept over him again.

"Gred! How art thou non-holiness?" Fred heard Georges voices say from behind him.

"Fine. Just perfectly dandy."

"Ah. Who woke up on the grumpy side of the bed? Oh yeah! How was last night? Did it go perfectly? Did you shag her yet? Or even snog her?" George continued to joke. Their conversation continued into the twin's room. The plaques on the door reading: Fred, the funny one; George, the funny-looking one.

"Forge, I think we have a problem."

"Gred! Whatever could it be?"

"I'm falling for Hermione Granger", Fred said with a certainty in his tone. A long silence followed. George just looked thoughtful.

"I guess I saw that coming. She's smart and can actually be funny. Not to mention she has changed a lot since her bookworm days. That girl is fine!"

"Watch it, Georgie. That fine girl is mine!"

"Awww… Little Freddie is finally falling in love. Shall I buy you a pony for that accomplishment?"

"Shut up!" Fred said with a blush. With a blush? Since when did Fred Weasley blush? But the rosy pink color proved to all that Fred Weasley _could _blush.

"So you still didn't answer my earlier question", said George, sitting on his bed, "Have you shagged her yet?"

"Merlin, George! I haven't even kissed her. And when I do shag her, I'm never going to forgive myself."

"Never able to forgive yourself for shagging her? Why? It's just a shag. Since Hermione's good at everything, you don't need to have any worries about a bad shag", George said with a smile in his voice.

"You don't understand, George! She was raped!" Fred shouted with a hint of desperation in his voice. Good thing their room was sound proof. George's laughing demeanor changed to angry in a matter of milliseconds.

"What the fuck?" George said angrily, "When? Who? How?"

"For those answers you'll have to ask Hermione, I don't really want to reveal any more of my bride-to-be's secrets", Fred said a little sadly.

"When I find out who it was… I'll… I'll… I'll kill him!" George shouted. Fred didn't doubt that anything he said wasn't true.

"That's the problem. Hermione just wants to forgive and forget", Fred said. Now he was getting angry.

"Well that's complete bull."

"Believe me, George. The loser would already be dead if it were up to me. But it's not. It's up to Hermione and I'm going to try and respect that", Fred said.

George nodded and the two brothers sat silently, secretly planning revenge on the man who raped Hermione.

-0o0o0-

**AN: **Thanks for reading so far! Now it's back to Hermione's POV (first person). And I plan on keeping it that way the rest of this chapter. Enjoy.

-0o0o0-

I lay on my bed, reading 'Hogwarts: A history' for the thousandth time. The letters swam in front of my eyes, making the text confusing. I was having trouble concentrating. I couldn't stop thinking about Fred. I wasn't quite sure if I liked him or not.

"Hermione?" a tentative voice broke up my thoughts. I whipped around expecting to see Fred, but my hopes were quickly crushed. It was Ron. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets and a sheepish expression on his face.

"Yes, Ronald?" I replied, trying to make my voice sound haughty. Ron looked slightly afraid.

"I- I came to apologize. I've been a huge git. It was really horrible what I did. I didn't mean for you to fall, I swear! I was just so incredibly angry at everything. You want to know who I got paired with?" he gave a dry, humorless laugh, "Loony Lovegood. She's crazy! I don't know how I'm going to live with her! I was so certain that you and I would be spending our lives together. Then when I found out if was Fred… I wasn't thinking straight. I over-reacted and I am really, really sorry."

My expression softened. He sounded so sincere and sorry! And I hated staying angry at either of my best friends. I wasn't quite ready to forgive him yet. I got up from my head and took two steps towards Ron, keeping my expression neutral. I reached out to his face as if to caress his cheek, he looked hopeful. Then I slapped him with all of my might. His head snapped to the side from the force of it.

"I guess I deserved that, didn't I?" Ron said, wiping his mouth. I nodded. He reached out for a hug and I gladly hugged him back.

'I'm ready to forgive you now", I spoke into his ear. I felt Ron relax.

"No hard feelings?" Ron asked nervously.

"No hard feelings", I replied. Then with a smile, "Well maybe a little."

"HERMIONE, GINNY, RON, HARRY! I NEED YOU ALL DOWN HERE IMMEDIATELY! OWLS FOR THE LOT OF YOU!" Mrs. Weasley screamed up the stairs. I hope the letters aren't even more bad news. I don't think I could deal with yet another marriage law. Ron and I looked at each other with alarmed expressions. I walked over to the door and we both headed downstairs.

-0o0o0-

Everyone was sitting in the living room. Each person was holding a letter, Mr. Weasley silently handed Ron and I our letters. I walked over to the loveseat where Fred and George were sitting. George scooted to the left and Fred scooted to the right. I sat in between the two boys; Fred looked at me with a smile.

I began to open my letter and soon enough, everyone followed. I opened my letter carefully, as if it were a bomb about to explode. I heard several gasps from the people in the room who have already read the letter. I ignored them and carefully pulled the letter out of the envelope.

Dear Ms. Hermione Jean Granger,

You have already received news stating who your husband will be. In the letter, the ministry told you that you must have at least two children. That rule has been changed, however. We will be giving you the minimum amount of children in this letter. Due to people just producing the old minimum amount of two, we have changed it so every couple has a different amount.

**Your amount is: **3 children.

You must produce at least one child within the first year of marriage. But you must have sexual relations once a week for the duration of your marriage. The ministry will be putting charms on your marriage bond so that this will happen.

We must remind you that failure to follow these rules with result in stripping of magic and 5 years in Azkaban.

We thank you for your patience. Enjoy your new life partner!

Sincerely,

The Minister of Magic

Ministry of Magic

"What?" I exclaimed, "They can't re-enforce that. I am not having sex once a week! I can't! I can't do it!"

Fred squeezed my knee comfortably. The rest of the Weasley's only took a quick look at me before returning to their current problem. Ron was an ashen color, Harry and Ginny had their heads bent together and were talking very fast. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were also talking, though their heads weren't bent quite so close. Charlie kept re-reading his paper as if hoping it would disappear. Percy had a smug look on his face and George was staring off into space.

"Well, let's just have a look around the circle to see how many kids everyone has to have", Mrs. Weasley's voice startled me. Harry and Ginny looked up.

"Ginny and I are to have four kids", Harry spoke with an almost happy tone. Well, at least he got to marry the girl of his dreams. Ron stood up, still ashen colored.

"Luna and I are to have…" Ron gulped, "Eight kids."

"Lisa and I are to have five kids", Charlie said shakily.

"Penelope and I are to have two kids", Percy spoke. He was still smug. Two kids? How'd he get so lucky? Maybe he had some pull at the ministry. At least I didn't have to have eight kids. Poor Ron!

"Angelina and I are having three kids", George said nonchalantly. Oh Merlin, it was my turn now. I looked at Fred, silently begging him to speak. Fred caught my expression and gave a slight nod.

"Hermione and I will be having three kids", Fred spoke with a tone I hadn't heard before. He was obviously trying to sound like he couldn't care less, but I could hear his excitement underlining his words.

"At least none of you have to have eight kids! What am I going to do?" Ron squealed. He looked very distressed. Most people in the room looked distressed. I was distressed. I couldn't have sex… My last experience had been memorable but not in a good way. I wasn't ready to let someone see me in my underwear, let alone shag.

"I'm leaving. I need to think", I spoke up. Fred caught my eye and nodded. No one else seemed to care that I was leaving. I walked out the door without a second thought. I had a lot to think about.

-0o0o0-

I lost track of time. It had definitely been several hours since I left; I wasn't sure what time it was though. It was starting to get dark, but I didn't feel like going back to the burrow yet. Suddenly, a crack sounded from the bush behind me. I spun around and whipped out my wand.

"Who's there?" I called out into the night. I heard another crack from the bush, "Come out or I'll hex you!"

"Calm down, 'Mione! It's just me!" George emerged from the bush with a guilty smile and his hands in the air, "Mom sent me to tell you to come home. Dinners ready."

"How'd you find me?" I spoke up.

"I used a tracking spell, pretty simple compared to _some _magic", he replied with a slight grin, which quickly changed to a frown, "You know the night of the battle when Fred almost died? I saw him die! I felt his presence leave! Then you did some fancy magic, screamed and his presence was back. Nobody noticed but me. I've wondered since then, how did you save him?"

I froze. George wasn't supposed to know anything about that. But if it had to be someone, I'm glad it was George. I knew he wouldn't tell my secret, especially since it involved Fred.

"I used a spell", I said vaguely. I still wasn't quite sure if I should tell him or not. George looked at me with an apprehensive face.

"You're avoiding the question. Was it illegal or something?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it was illegal but that's not why I'm not telling you. It's sort of like a Horcrux."

"What? You made Fred into a Horcrux! How could you? Who'd you kill?" George yelled, livid with anger.

"Of course not! How could you even say that? I said 'sort of'! You really want to know what happened?... I split my soul in two. I basically gave Fred half of my life force. Instead of killing someone, it just takes the part needed from the caster. In a very painful way. We have a connection now; it's supposed to become more pronounced in a month or so. That's all I know about it", I finished. To my surprise, George's eyes were sparkling with tears.

"You did that?" his voice cracking, "But why? You were never close to Fred! Why'd you do it?" I promised myself I'd never tell anyone why. But I felt like I owed George an explanation.

"Don't interrupt me, or I may not be able to finish…" George nodded and I began, "I had a twin. Her name was Lisa, but I called his Lissy. She wasn't a witch, however. And the magic began to force us apart once I started at Hogwarts. When I was 14, I went home for the summer. She was constantly spending time with her new friends and she barely hung out with me anymore. On one of the few days she wasn't with her friends, we went hiking to a waterfall together. At first, we had fun catching up with each other. Then it turned into an argument. Lissy got angry and ran off. As she was running by the river, she tripped and fell in. I screamed and ran after her but it was too late. She was swept over the side of the waterfall. When I ran down the rocks to the pool at the bottom, I saw her lifeless body floating face down towards me. It was only then that I realized I had my wand with me and I could have saved her if I had remembered. I have NEVER felt so alone and afraid. So scared, so hopeless. I felt like I was missing half of me. I drown myself in my studies to try to ease the pain but it only helps the pain fade. It will never truly be gone. I didn't want you and Fred to go through that kind of pain. Fred could have been your Lissy. I did it for myself as well. By saving Fred, I could finally forgive myself for not saving Lissy", I finished with tears pouring down my cheeks. George quickly pulled me into his embrace.

"Thank you. I can't thank you enough for saving Fred. I am so sorry about Lissy. I can't say I know completely what it feels like, but I'm here if you ever need to talk", George said while rubbing soothing circles on my back. This is the last time I'll cry about Lissy, I promised myself, and she wouldn't like all these tears over her.

"Why didn't you tell Fred about his death? Or anyone else?" George spoke up suddenly.

"I didn't tell Fred because it would tear him apart to know he died and we were sharing a soul. I don't want him under that kind of stress. I didn't tell anyone else because I don't want them to look at Fred any differently."

""I guess I understand. I won't tell anyone, I promise. About Lissy or Fred", George replied with a sincere expression. I was still in his embrace.

"Won't tell anyone what?" I heard Harry's voice say, "And Hermione, why are you sitting in George's lap?"

I suddenly realized I was still in Georges lap. I jumped up and backed away several feet. We both started blushing.

"It was nothing. George was helping me feel better", I told Harry.

"Alright… Mrs. Weasley sent me to tell you that you are both very late to dinner. She expects you home immediately."

We set off for dinner and an angry Mrs. Weasley.

-0o0o0-

**AN: **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I'm going to try to update every Thursday just FYI. I am begging you to please review. I refuse to do blackmail, but I'm sad because I don't have very many reviews thus far. Constructive criticism is welcome, as well as compliments or just a simple "UPDATE!". Reviews keep me going and it only takes a few seconds. Pretty please?


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Hey everyone! I am so sorry for not updating Thursday, when I was supposed too! I hope this makes up for it. And I just want to make a quick reminder that this chapter is rated M for a reason. They may or may not play a game of Truth or Dare, and the dares are a little saucy. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you've read in a book before. No matter how much I wish I did._

-0o0o0-

The next week went by in a blur. Mrs. Weasley was running around like a gnome with her head cut off. She was preparing for the fancy family dinner, with all of the fiancés. She made everyone help with everything; I barely had time to sleep. Ginny and I stayed up late nearly every night sewing or preparing pies. I was starting to fall asleep at the table during breakfast. Mrs. Weasley always woke me up by conjuring cold water and dumping it on my head.

On the night of the dinner, I headed up to Ginny's room to get dressed. Apparently, we all had to dress formally. I didn't own any formal clothes so I had to borrow from Ginny. When I entered the room, she was wearing a short, strapless black number that went beautifully with her hair.

"Hermione! Good, you're here. I have the perfect dress for you!" Ginny said excitedly. I looked at her with wary eyes. I didn't want a slutty dress, a dress like… well, a dress like Ginny's.

"Alright, fine. Show me the dress. But if its too short, I'm not wearing it."

Ginny huffed and walked past me to her closet. She reached in and grabbed a white dress. I gasped. Usually I'm not a huge fan of dresses and dressing up but this dress was perfect. It was a short (but not too short) white number. In the front it had a modest neckline. There wasn't a back, however. It was a bunch of spaghetti strap strings that criss-crossed.

"I don't know about the back, Ginny", I said cautiously.

"The back is perfect. The dress is perfect. You are perfect. You will look perfect in this dress, put it on right now!" said Ginny with a playful snarl.

I slipped the dress on and turned to the mirror. It hugged my curves and made my breasts look bigger, not to big though. I turned around and craned my neck over my shoulder, trying to get a better look at the back. It wasn't too horrible. Ginny waved her wand and my hair settled into long ringlets. She waved her wand again and make-up appeared on my face.

"I told you you'd be perfect", said Ginny quietly.

"Shut up." I said. Then we headed to the dinner, chatting all the way.

-0o0o0-

Fred's face was priceless.

His mouth was hanging open and he kept making these sounds like a dying fish.

"Hey Freddie", I spoke as seductively as I could, holding back a laugh. He was still making those fishy noises.

"I… uh…you…yeah. Hermione… you look stunning", Fred said nervously. I laughed, when was Fred Weasley nervous? Fred and I began to walk to the group, I felt something take my hand. It was Fred. I looked at him and he smiled. I blushed in response but squeezed his hand. Harry raised an eyebrow at us but said nothing.

Mrs. Weasley went the whole nine yards. A huge table had been placed under a white tent. There were rose petals everywhere, and the table was covered with a white table cloth. There were nameplates on each seat and food was covering the table. It smelled delicious, there was more food then I had every seen. Even more then the Gryffindor table at Hogwarts.

Fred led me over to our seats. We were near the end of the table and we were sitting across from Ron and Luna.

"Hello Hermione. Hello Fred, Are you alright? You look like nargles have gotten to you", Luna said dreamily. I followed Fred's eyes and realized he was staring at my arse.

"Enjoying the view?" Fred's head snapped up at the sound of my voice. He waggled his eyebrows. Luna tapped his shoulder and handed him and extremely large pair of socks. The socks were bright yellow and had tiny swirls all over them.

"Put them on your ears", she said seriously, "It will keep the nargles out."

Fred and I exchanged a glance and hastily began to drink from our water glasses.

-0o0o0-

The next day, Ginny and I were playing exploding snap in our room. Suddenly, I heard Fred's voice call, "Hermione! Come up to my room for a second. I need to show you something!"

"Oooooh! His room!" Ginny said dramatically, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do", she leaned closer to me, "And there is _nothing_ I won't do."

I gave her a quick slap and hoisted myself up from the floor. Whatever could he want? If it's a prank… I swear to Merlin… I walked out of the door and up the stairs to Fred's room. I heard scrambling inside of the room. I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

"Quick, she's here."

"Is it ready?"

"Yes, yes. Now open the door."

"You do it!"

"No, you!"

"She's _your _fiancée."

I knocked on the door again, "Hey guys? I can hear you, you know."

The door opened very suddenly and I fell into the room. Rubbing my arse, I looked around. Fred was sitting alone at a small table. There was nothing on the table but a bowl of red sweets. I looked around for George but he was nowhere to be seen.

"I heard voices. Where's George?" I said suspiciously. Fred shrugged.

"He left. It's just you and me."

"Well, what did you want?"

"George and I are looking into making a line of normal sweets. These are our first products and I want you to try one. They're cherry flavored", Fred said innocently.

"They look pretty suspicious to me. And I know you guys would jump at the chance to prank me. I'll eat one if you eat one", I replied, keeping a poker face.

"Fine, then. I promise nothing bad will happen. Just go ahead and try one! I'll do it with you."

I cautiously took a sweet from the bowl. I locked my eyes with Fred's as I put it in my mouth. Fred was right, they did taste like cherries. The taste was very good. I averted my eyes from Fred and looked at his hands as I tasted the sweet. It was a small sweet, however and with a crunch, it was gone. I held my breath for five seconds. Nothing seemed to be happening.

"Hermione?" Fred asked. I never noticed how sexy his voice was before. Rough with just the right amount of softness. If only he'd kiss me. That'd be sexier than his voice. I shook my head, what was I saying?

I noticed I had sticky red stuff on my fingers, remnants of the candy. I stuck my fingers in my mouth, one at a time, and sucked the sticky stuff off. Fred sucked in a quick breath.

"Uh… Could you stop doing that, please? It's really sexy", Fred said. I still couldn't believe how gorgeous his voice was.

"What? You don't… like it?", I stuck another finger in my mouth, "I think it's a good thing that it's sexy. Do you think I'm sexy. Frederick Weasley?"

Fred took a sharp intake of breath. Why was I saying all of this? This wasn't me. But an unknown force seemed to force me to do it. After a moment of fighting, I gave into the force.

"I just want to remind you", I got up from the chair and stood behind him, "that we are going to have to have sex soon. Why not now?" I ran my finger down his face, "It'll be… hot."

"I don't think that would be a very good idea", said Fred, getting up from his seat and backing away from me. I noticed his problem in his pants.

"Want me to fix that?" I murmured. Fred shook his head and continued his retreat. I pounced on him, pushing him to the bed. He fell onto his back and I straddled him. Fred started to look super nervous.

"Hermione, in about a minute, you're going to be really embarrassed by this so just stop. Please, stop."

"No", I growled with a laugh. I took off my shirt and kissed Fred with all I had, "Freddie… You have way too many clothes on." I reached down and started to unbutton his shirt.

Fred whipped out his wand, "_Petrificus Totalus!" _My legs and arms snapped together and I was frozen, however, my mouth still worked.

"Freddie, why'd you do that? Now we can't shag", I did my sexiest pouty face, "Maybe I should just talk dirty to you, hm?"

"How about we play the quiet game?"

"How about you shut up and fuck me?"

"5…4…3…2…1… Hermione, you should be feeling normal now."

I felt the forceful control leave. A wave of embarresment washed over me as I realized what I had just done. Fred is going to be in so much trouble. It must have been those sweets. Fred swished his wand and I felt the hex being lifted, I could move again. Not caring that my shirt was still off and I was standing there in my bra, I whipped out wand.

"Frederick Fabian Weasley. If you _ever_ pull a prank on me again, you won't be able to make babies. Understood?" I growled. Fred nodded, looking very scared, "As for the time being, I will get you back for this. Not now, but when you least expect it. I was the one who taught Ginny the Bat Bogie Hex, don't make me use it."

I was about to send a hex at Fred (one that would make his balls hurt for days), when Ginny burst through the door, "Hey Fred, Hermione. We're all going to play truth or dare in Ron and Harry's room! Hermione… Where in Merlin is your shirt?"

I blushed and quickly grabbed my shirt. I pulled it on and Ginny looked from Fred to me, then back to Fred.

"What's going on here?" she asked playfully. I pushed her out of the room and closed the door, "Be at Ron and Harry's room in five minutes for truth or dare!" she yelled through the door.

I turned to Fred. He backed away again, his hands in the air.

"What were those? Why didn't they work on you? Do you want to play truth or dare?" I bombarded him with questions.

"Hey! Only one question at a time. They were Lustful Lollipops, without the stick. They make you lust after the first person you see. They only last for 2 minutes however, we're working on making them last longer. I didn't eat mine, so obviously it didn't work. And sure, let's play."

I kept my glare at him strong as we headed out the door.

-0o0o0-

_A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be truth or dare, so I have a little contest for you. Here's what you do:_

_Review this chapter and give me a truth or a dare. The people playing truth or dare are: Ron, Harry, Ginny, Luna, George, Fred and Hermione._

_Tell me who the dare is for and whether it's a truth or a dare. The people who's dares I choose, will be credited. _

_Please don't make the dares too inappropriate. We want a mild M here, not MA._

_And in case your wondering, truth or dare is only going to happen once. I'm not going to make it the whole story._

_I'll try to update within the next week, I have to see how many truths and dares I get. _

_Much love!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: So, I have 32 people with this story on story alert. I only have 21 reviews… I was doing wishful thinking and thought that if every person who liked this story reviewed, even just a little bit, I would be so thankful. I've already put out 4 chapters with only 21 reviews. I'm not demanding you to review, I'm just stating how wonderful it would be._

_Due to the lack of response to the last chapter, I'm worried it wasn't very good. If you had a problem with it, or noticed a problem, please tell me. But since I didn't get enough submissions to truth or dare, I won't be including their game in this story. I may make a one shot about it though._

_Sorry for the delayed chapter. Please don't kill me! I'm busy with school and homework and such._

-0o0o0-

_ I was in Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix was torturing me again, I screamed and screamed but no one could hear me. Suddenly, a flash of purple light filled the room. The pain left me for a minute as several people joined me. Bellatrix began to torture Harry, then Ron. As they went through the same torture as I did. _

_ "Help us, Hermione!"_

_ "Help! It hurts!"_

_ "Make it stop!"_

_ Another flash of light and Ginny was the one being tortured, Rona and Harry lying dead on the floor. Another flash, it was my mum. Another flash, it was my dad. People kept appearing, being tortured then dying. George. Mrs. Weasley. Charlie. Percy. Bill. Fleur. Mr. Weasley. Neville. Luna._

_ "It's your fault!"_

_ "Help!"_

_ "We never did anything wrong!"_

_ "Only you can save us."_

_ A final flash of light and the bodies disappeared. Bellatrix turned back to me and I whimpered, sure I would be the next one to go. _

_ "Crucio!"_

_ The curse went over my shoulder and hit someone standing behind me. I whipped around as screaming filled the air again. It was Fred. Withering in agony of the floor, unable to stop the screams._

_ Suddenly, he stopped. He was standing and walking towards me. We were no longer in Malfoy Manor, we were standind in a forest. Fred walked towards me looking like death. He looked like someone who had been dead for several weeks. I couldn't move. His mouth was at my ear, he even smelled like rotten flesh. _

_ "Everything is about to change," he whispered in a gravelly voice. Then his hands were around my throat choking me, I couldn't breath. I tried to scream but no sound came out. I was going to die._

_ "I'm going to kill you just like you killed me", Fred laughed in a voice that hadn't been used in a long time._

"Hermione!" Ginny shook me awake, "Shhhh…. It's okay, it was just a dream."

I stared wildly around. Ginny was here? That can't be true, Bellatrix killed her. Did I die? Did Fred kill me? I backed out of my bed and against the wall. Where was I?

"Is everything okay in here? We heard screaming," Fred and George's face's appeared at the door. I screamed and backed away. They were back to kill me again, I was sure of it.

"Stay away from me! Don't send me back! I'm sorry I killed you," I sobbed, "Fred, I'm sorry. I should've let you die. It's all my fault. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me!"

Fred and George stared at each other for a second and then ran out of the room. Ginny gripped my shoulders, and stared into my eyes.

"Hermione. Wake up." She said so forcefully, that I managed to stop believing she was dead. Was everyone alive? Was it really just a dream?

"It was a dream?" I whimpered. Ginny nodded and I fell into her arms. She rubbed my back soothingly as I continued to whimper.

Harry and Ron burst into the room, with the rest of the Weasley's close behind them. At the sight of me whimpering in Ginny's arms, everyone froze. I noticed Fred in the back of the group and felt a panic rise up in me. Did I accidently tell him about the soul bond?

Fred walked forward with an extremely confused and angry expression. George looked guilty. I pushed Ginny away and stood up.

"I'm sorry", I whispered.

"George told me that… you saved me. He told me how. Why the fuck would you not tell me? Don't you think I deserve to know? How could you, Hermione? How the fuck could you?" Fred said growing angrier with every word.

I was sobbing now. I couldn't stop shaking. "I did it for you. I did it for everyone, Lissy would have wanted it that way. Oh My God. I'm so sorry."

The rest of the Weasleys looked at Fred, then me, then Fred again. Fred looked at me harshly.

"Just go."

I took his words as an eager invitation. I pushed past Ron and Harry's shocked faces and ran out of the room, just in time to here the questions launched at Fred and George.

"What is she talking about?"

"What happened?"

"Who's Lissy?"

"Why are you so mad? She saved your life", George said softly. I stopped running and waited to hear his reply.

"She never told me. She kept this fucking secret from me that changes everything. I don't know if I can ever forgive her." Fred replied, still shaking with anger.

Tears sprung to my eyes once again and I began to run. I made it past the steps and out the door. I ran until I could no longer see the house, until I was emerged in the forest deeper then I had ever been before. When my legs couldn't run any longer, I fell to my knees.

I saved his life. Couldn't he be grateful? Or forgiving? It's not like I had a lot of choices. He's going to be even angrier when he finds out about the soul bond. How would he ever marry me now?

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the mudblood bitch." A cold, hard voice spoke at me from above. I stiffened. I recognized that tone. I slowly turned my head up. It was Lucius Malfoy.

He had his wand out, and was smiling with an ugly grin. Now I wished I hadn't gone so far in the forest, no one could hear me scream.

_"Stupefy!" _I shouted. He blocked it easily.

"You're going to have to do better than that. As I remember, you were a horrible shag. We'll have to work on that, won't we? _Crucio!_" I attempted to block it, but my shield charm wasn't strong enough.

I flew backwards, hitting my head against a tree. The shield charm helped enough that I didn't feel the normal pain, but only flew backwards.

_"Expelleriamus!" _ Malfoy shouted. I was still dazed from the impact of the my head against the tree and my wand flew out of my hands. Malfoy clearly intended to catch my wand, but it flew short of him by a few feet. It was dead center between us. There was a beat of silence, then we both lunged for the wand.

I got to it first and sent a quick bat bogey hex at Malfoy, he shrieked and tried to scrape his bat bogey's off.

"_Petrificus Totalus!" _I shouted. Malfoy froze, his legs and arms snapped to the sides. I turned my back on him and conjured my patronus.

The otter swam happily around me, while I tried to decide on a message to send to the Weasley's.

"_I need help. I have been attacked. I'm in the middle of the woods. Use tracking spell."_

The otter disappeared in a flash of light. I turned back to Lucius Malfoy. I did a double take, he was gone. I silently cursed myself for being so stupid.

"_Tantum Sanguinus", _I heard an oily voice whisper. Blood spurted from me. I suddenly had cuts all over my body; it was if someone had peeled of all my skin. I screamed from the pain. It was almost worse than the soul bonding. It was worse than being tortured at Malfoy Manor, it was even worse than being raped.

Evil laughter bounced off the trees, five death eaters emerged from the trees. The only one I regonized was Lucius Malfoy.

"A new dark lord is rising. He will be more powerful than anyone before him, even Voldemort. It will be a new world, a changed world. Too bad you won't be here to see it", Malfoy said angrily.

"_Avada Ke-"_

_ "Stupefy!"_

Fred's voice shouted. The death eater's eyes widened in surprise and he toppled over. Curses filled the air as the Weasley's joined in the battle. I couldn't move anymore, I could barely think. I had lost too much blood. I would surely die here. I felt another curse hit me and I was thrown into a tree.

"_Crucio!"_

I screamed as even more pain filled me. My vision started to blacken at the edges. The pain hadn't left yet, I was still screaming. Time is different under the crucio curse. Seconds feel like hours, minutes feel like days. You lose all sense of who you are and what ties you too the world. All that matters is the pain and when it will stop.

"_Avada kedavra!"_

I saw a flash of green light and I knew nothing more.

_A/N: Ahhh! Cliffhanger! I'm sorry to leave you guys here, but I need to go to bed. Did Hermione die? Or what? Find out as soon as I post another chapter!_

_Please, dear God, review. It means more than you can imagine._

_Much Love!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter! Sorry to leave you on a cliffhanger. I couldn't resist! This chapter is a little weirdly formatted. This is because it's how I see Hermione's mind. This Don't forget to review! _

-0o0o0-

Alone.

I am alone.

The flash of light hit me. It hurt, dear Merlin, it hurt. But I had survived.

I survived.

I am alive, I am alone.

I am nothing. The whiteness that surrounds me is a blanket.

A snowstorm.

Ice cream.

I remember the black. The black that came before the white, I was free. I saw a light and I followed it. I found my parents. They smiled at me. My mother hugged me as did my father, they whispered that nothing was my fault. I saw Lissy. Oh, how I had missed her! She hugged me and greeted me with a laugh.

"It isn't your fault, my brave twin. I've missed you so much! We can finally play together again!" Lissy said in a voice that wasn't her own.

I tried to walk forward with her to the unknown.

The great beyond.

Heaven.

An unknown force pulled me back. Lissy cried out but I was already swept away. I heard a male call my name. I heard a girl sobbing. I heard a voice apologizing over and over. I heard screams and curses. I tried to respond, to tell them that I am okay! I couldn't speak. No sound comes out of my broken mouth. All I can do is breath. Up and down.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

My white blanket wraps me tighter and my thoughts drift off.

-0o0o0-

Laughter.

A male is laughing.

I can't remember their names. Their just a blank spot in my head. I don't know who I am.

Who am I?

I am Hermione.

Hermione Granger

Also known as 'Mione.

In a rush, my life flies back to me. I remember everything.

Harry.

Ron.

Ginny.

George.

Fred.

Fred. The man I love.

Love?

Like.

Hate.

Want.

Lust.

Need.

He hates me. I kept a secret from him. He should be dead. I saved him. We are bonded.

Why?

Sudden pain distracts me from my thoughts. I shy away in my own mind. Pushing away the pain that's going on with my body.

Searing pain.

The pain begins to fade and I delve deeper into myself, not wanting to face the reality of the pain.

-0o0o0-

I am in a library. The Hogwarts library, to be precise. Rows upon rows of books I had never seen before. Books about things I could never imagine. I eagerly walked down the aisles, smelling the wonderful scent of books. I turn the corner. Lissy is standing there, looking at me with a disapproving expression.

"Lissy?" I ask tentavitly.

"Duh, Hermione." She replies. Then she rushes forward and gives me the biggest hug. I hold her and fight back tears, knowing somehow, this will be the last I see of her for a long time.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were dead. I thought I was dead." I said curiously. Lissy released me and plopped down on one of the huge chairs. She sighed and rubbed her temples. I studied her, she looked as she did the night she died. It was like looking at a younger version of myself.

"I am dead. I'm just visiting you for a while. I needed to pass on a warning. You died and came back, Hermione. Fred brought you back. Remember the connection between Harry and Voldemort? Neither can live while the other survives."

My mouth opened in a little round 'o' of shock. I had created an almost indestructible bond between me and Fred.

"What's the warning?" I asked nervously.

"You need to stop hiding within yourself, Hermione. I know it may hurt, but healing hurts. Your hurting the people you love by staying so hidden. You've been unconscious for five days. You need to climb the ladder to waking up before you pass the point of return."

My bottom lip wavered, "I miss you so much, Lissy. I'm sorry you died! I could've saved you! I don't want to lose you again."

Lissy's eyes grew calm with wisdom beyond her age, "It wasn't your fault, 'Mione. It was my time to go. I am with you, wherever you are."

"One last thing, does Fred hate me?"

"Things are not always what they seem, sweetheart." Lissy's hand brushed my face. She gave me a gentle smile and was gone in a flash of light.

I need to recover.

For Fred.

For Lissy.

-0o0o0-

Reality strikes hard.

It hits you in the gut and before you have the chance to recover, it hits again.

Reality is getting better.

Getting better is pain.

It reminds me of Geometry, and how if x=y, and y=z, then x=z.

Reality=getting better, getting better=pain, therefore reality=pain.

I lose myself in the wonderfulness of the non-reality. Still not wanting to face the pain.

-0o0o0-

It's very late at night. I walk down a hallway filled with doors. Each door is different, and has a label on it. There is the hall of books, the hall of memories, the hall of spells, the hall of love. Too many to count. I finally come to the hall of people, and I see everyone I've ever meet. Each of their names are on a door. There are a lot of doors, so I only pause at the people I'm friends with.

Harry. I open the door and walk inside. Pictures and moving images cover the room, It's filled with my memories with Harry! I touch the first picture I see and suddenly, I'm thrust into a memory just after the battle of Hogwarts.

_I was shaken. I had just saved Fred, and he still hadn't woken up. I could feel him alive though, almost as if another being was located inside of me. It felt like a second heartbeat. I heard a crack of a twig behind me, I whipped around and pulled out my wand. The words to a horrible curse about to fall off my lips and I realize it's Harry._

_ "Oh! Harry! You should have known better than to sneak up on me like that! You could've ended up with three blind heads."_

_ Harry flashed me an apologetic grin. He wandered over and sat down. I sat down again next to him and put my head on his shoulder. We were silent for a while, enjoying each other's company and losing ourselves in our thoughts._

_ "I can't believe it's over. All my life, I never expected to survive. I thought I was going to die a martyr's death and never live to see life without Voldemort. My life was all planned out for me. Fight, win, die. What am I going to do now?" Harry spoke suddenly and fiercely._

_ I responded with just as much fierceness, "You are going to live your life, Harry James Potter. You are going to be happy and make up for all the years you've been scared. I don't care what the cost, you are going to be happy and you are going to die a natural death."_

_ The boy-who-lived swept me into a brotherly hug._

_ "I love you, Hermione."_

_ "Love you too, Harry."_

With a rush, I was pulled out of the memory. Harry… I missed my brother from another mother. I missed his warm hugs and careful advice. His dumb attitude when it came to girls, his sweet protective nature. It felt like a piece of my heart came back when I saw that picture. Filled with joy, I opened the door and continued down the hallway.

Ron. He was the next door down. A little bit scared, I opened the door to see what awaited. Ron's grinning face appeared everywhere. To my left, a picture of us smiling together shone back at me. Feeling incredibly drawn to the picture, I edged closer and reached my hand out to touch it. I was swept into another memory.

_Ron gently caressed my cheek. We were laying in one of the guest rooms at shell cottage. I was laying on my side and he was laying behind me, spoon style. In the window across from us, a fiery pink sunset blazed. It almost made me forget the days horrible events and appreciate the beauty of now. _

_ The sunset dimmed out and Ron flipped me around so I was facing him. He was smiling gently at me as he caressed my arm._

_ "You're so beautiful." Ron said gently but sincerely._

_ "Even now? Even after everything that's happened?"_

_ "You'll always be beautiful to me."_

_ "Ron? Thank you for being there for me. I don't know how I'd live without you. Will you always stay with me?"_

_ "Always."_

Always. He had promised to always stay with me. A little more love seemed to fill up in my heart, I felt half-way whole again. I let myself back into the hall and continued to walk. I heard a scream and the sound of doors rattling.

I turned to the door that made noise. The blurry title on the plaque sent chills through my spine, 'Voldemort'. The door rattled again and I jumped back, letting out a screech. Quickly turning my back on the door, I half ran, half walked down the hallway. I was eager to get away from the door.

Ginny. I stopped walking when I saw her name. With a soft creak, I opened the door. The room, like others before it, was filled with moving images and pictures. I touched the one that seemed to have the most power and was once again sucked into a memory.

_"Hermione? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Ginny's soft voice filled my quiet bedroom. She looked distraught and dirty. _

_ "Sure, Gin. What's wrong?"_

_ "Oh, Hermione. I think Harry hates me! He hasn't talked to me since the final battle. I'm worried I did something wrong." She sounded so sad, but I could tell she was just a volcano nearly ready to explode._

_ "He doesn't hate you, Ginny. He's scared you'll reject him. Just go for the first move."_

_ "But I don't want too! I have been waiting for months! MONTHS! Not knowing if he was dead or alive! Do you know what that can do to a person? I was worried out of my mind! I thought he was dead. Do you freaking know how HORRIBLE it is to be so worried about the person you love? It's like being tortured, and don't tell me you've ever experienced anything like that!"_

_ My face fell. She didn't know about Bellatrix. My anger was rising too. How dare she take this out on me? It wasn't my fault Harry was such a chicken! _

_ "Well, I'll have you know, Ginny Weasley! I was tortured under Bellatrix for longer than most people do. I was tortured more than Neville's parents. I STILL have nightmares about it! You think I don't know what it feels like? My PARENTS were MURDERED. After I gave up their memories protecting them. You're not the only one who has it bad, so SUCK IT UP." I finished angrily, turning my back on Ginny._

_ I heard a shocked silence behind me. Then the tears came, I began to cry. Not just a few little tears, but huge wracking sobs. I felt comforting arms wrap around me._

_ "You're the strongest person I know, Hermione. If anyone could get through this, you could. Stay strong, I'll be here by your side helping you whenever you need it."_

Stay strong. I needed to stay strong. I could do that, I could be strong. Feeling more accomplished than ever, I headed back into the hallway, stopping quickly as I saw George's room. I knew what to expect this time. I quickly let myself into the room and put my palm on the nearest poster. I already knew what memory I would see.

_"How'd you find me?" I spoke up._

_ "I used a tracking spell, pretty simple compared to some magic", he replied with a slight grin, which quickly changed to a frown, "You know the night of the battle when Fred almost died? I saw him die! I felt his presence leave! Then you did some fancy magic, screamed and his presence was back. Nobody noticed but me. I've wondered since then, how did you save him?"_

_ I froze. George wasn't supposed to know anything about that. But if it had to be someone, I'm glad it was George. I knew he wouldn't tell my secret, especially since it involved Fred._

_ "I used a spell", I said vaguely. I still wasn't quite sure if I should tell him or not. George looked at me with an apprehensive face._

_ "You're avoiding the question. Was it illegal or something?"_

_ "Yes, I'm pretty sure it was illegal but that's not why I'm not telling you. It's sort of like a Horcrux."_

_ "What? You made Fred into a Horcrux! How could you? Who'd you kill?" George yelled, livid with anger._

_ "Of course not! How could you even say that? I said 'sort of'! You really want to know what happened?... I split my soul in two. I basically gave Fred half of my life force. Instead of killing someone, it just takes the part needed from the caster. In a very painful way. We have a connection now; it's supposed to become more pronounced in a month or so. That's all I know about it", I finished. To my surprise, George's eyes were sparkling with tears._

_ "You did that?" his voice cracking, "But why? You were never close to Fred! Why'd you do it?" I promised myself I'd never tell anyone why. But I felt like I owed George an explanation._

_ "Don't interrupt me, or I may not be able to finish…" George nodded and I began, "I had a twin. Her name was Lisa, but I called his Lissy. She wasn't a witch, however. And the magic began to force us apart once I started at Hogwarts. When I was 14, I went home for the summer. She was constantly spending time with her new friends and she barely hung out with me anymore. On one of the few days she wasn't with her friends, we went hiking to a waterfall together. At first, we had fun catching up with each other. Then it turned into an argument. Lissy got angry and ran off. As she was running by the river, she tripped and fell in. I screamed and ran after her but it was too late. She was swept over the side of the waterfall. When I ran down the rocks to the pool at the bottom, I saw her lifeless body floating face down towards me. It was only then that I realized I had my wand with me and I could have saved her if I had remembered. I have NEVER felt so alone and afraid. So scared, so hopeless. I felt like I was missing half of me. I drown myself in my studies to try to ease the pain but it only helps the pain fade. It will never truly be gone. I didn't want you and Fred to go through that kind of pain. Fred could have been your Lissy. I did it for myself as well. By saving Fred, I could finally forgive myself for not saving Lissy", I finished with tears pouring down my cheeks. George quickly pulled me into his embrace._

_ "Thank you. I can't thank you enough for saving Fred. I am so sorry about Lissy. I can't say I know completely what it feels like, but I'm here if you ever need to talk", George said while rubbing soothing circles on my back. This is the last time I'll cry about Lissy, I promised myself, and she wouldn't like all these tears over her._

_ "Why didn't you tell Fred about his death? Or anyone else?" George spoke up suddenly._

_ "I didn't tell Fred because it would tear him apart to know he died and we were sharing a soul. I don't want him under that kind of stress. I didn't tell anyone else because I don't want them to look at Fred any differently."_

_ ""I guess I understand. I won't tell anyone, I promise. About Lissy or Fred. You can trust me", George replied with a sincere expression. I was still in his embrace._

I could trust him. Even if he had told Fred, I forgave him I should've told Fred in the first place, he didn't deserve to be kept in the dark.

I left George's room feeling complete for the first time in weeks. I slowly edged into the hallway and turned at the corner. I saw a door that was bright gold. The plaque read 'Fred'. I held back a smile as I walked in. I stopped in surprise, the room was completely bare.

"Hello? I know I have memories of Fred! Show yourself!" No one was there. Nothing was there.

Suddenly a glow filled the room. A figure stepped out of the center of the shine. It was Fred.

"I think it's time you come back home, Hermione." Fred held out his hand. I took it, feeling more whole and loved then I had ever felt before. He smiled as we walked through the light.

-0o0o0-

I opened my eyes. It took some effort, my eyelashes felt as if they had been glued together. The first thing I noticed was that I was in a casket. My wand was in my hands, and I was dressed in a nicer dress than I had ever seen. I could hear a preacher talking and several people sobbing.

"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Hermione Jean Granger. Hermione was a beautiful hardworking girl. She suffered much in life, but still managed to live life to its fullest…"

The preacher droned on and on, I lied there, trying to regain enough strength to sit up. I quickly thanked Merlin that wizards didn't sew their dead shut. I heard another sob. It sounded as if it was coming from Fred. I felt a rush of anger at myself for causing him sorrow.

"Let us now have a moment of silence for the brightest witch of her age."

I felt a surge of strength and using all that I have, I sat up. At first, no one noticed me. Then suddenly, a young boy cried out, "She's alive!"

Shocked whispers filled the beautiful venue. I locked eyes with Fred.

"Fred." I whispered before passing out from exhaustion.

-0o0o0-

_A/N: Reviews are love. _


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